It's my fault, Rainbow Dash
by Kalka
Summary: Rainbow Dash helps Applejack buck apples, but something terribly tragic goes wrong.
1. It's my fault

Applejack entered the hospital. Approaching the service desk, she put her orange-like hooves on the edge of the counter. "Hey there, missy.. Ah'm here 'ta see Rainbow Dash."  
>The nurse pony nodded, "One moment, please."<br>As she walked over to talk to one of the doctors, Applejack sighed, looking down coldly at the marbled floor.

It was two days ago.  
>Dash had a trauma incident that severely injured her. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were becoming...more than best friends. Dash helped Applejack buck some apple trees. Laughing and talking, they bucked and bucked as nutritious green and red apples fell from their host, dropping onto the baskets.<br>They were almost done for the day. Rainbow Dash challenged Applejack to see who can buck 5 Appletrees in 10 seconds.  
>"Heh, yer' on!" She accepted the challenge."<p>

"Ready? Set! GO!" Rainbow Dash sprinted towards the nearest tree, crashing her back hooves with the base, quickly sprinting to the other nearest one.

As for Applejack, she did the same.

Time was running out, until finally...  
>Rainbow Dash won, bucking 5 trees in exactly 10 seconds.<br>As for Applejack, it wasn't all too bad... 4.  
>"Who's the iron pony, NOW?"<br>"...Ah thought we agreed not 'ta talk about that again."  
>There was a loud creaking noise. It was the last tree that Dash bucked, the half of it was falling apart, it seemed like an unstable tree. Dash was too busy bragging about it, and Applejack tried to warn her, but.. it was too late.<p>

*BAM!*  
>The tree slammed onto Dash's back, forcing her down to the ground. She yells, struggling to free herself.<br>Applejack immediately galloped towards her. "RAINBOW!" she shouted, approaching her in fear of losing her.  
>"Nnngh..! A-Applejack..! It HURTS..! G-Go...! Get help!"<br>Applejack had a decision to make, it was hard. Either watch Dash as she faces Death's scythe and struggle to get her out, or look for another pony. At first, she chose to try to get her out.

"NO! It's too heavy!" Rainbow's eyes teared up, also in fear of dying. Applejack shouted in exasparation from thinking, finally choosing to run as fast as she can to the Treebrary.  
>She bolted in, Twilight noticing the scared look on her face. "Apple...jack? What's..wrong?"<p>

"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! Rainbow needs our help, now c'mon!" Applejack rushed out again, Twilight eagerly following her.

They were back at Sweet Apple Acres, where Dash was stuck with the tree.

"DO SOMETHING, TWILIGHT!"  
>Applejack was panicked. She was seriously afraid of losing her. Twilight enacts a spell as a ball of sparkle glamours on her horn. The tree glows, being lifted up into the air, then moving it over to the side, gently touched down. Twilight gasps after finishing the spell, breathing heavily as it was a pretty hard task.<br>Both of them approached Dash at full speed. Inspecting her, she was unconcious, a large cut on her back and a stab wound on her side. A branch must've caused the stab.

Applejack, terrified to see Dash at this state, she shakes her violently. "Rain..bow...Rainbow..! RAINBOW! Wake up!"

Twilight announced. "She's not going to wake up. We have to get her to the hospital, now!" Her horn glows again, after doing so, she lifts Rainbow into the air, galloping towards the hospital with her at top speed. Applejack follows behind also.

They bolt into the hospital, stopping as their hooves click upon stopping on the marbled floor.

"Nurse! This pegasus needs help!"  
>She notices Dash unconcious, quickly responding by dispatching a team to the living room. Immediately coming from the two-doored entrance to the interior part of the hospital, they place Rainbow Dash on an unstationary hospital bed, taking her inside.<br>They had to wait for 2 days until finally, the time has come.  
>The nurse came back. "Follow me, please." Applejack proceeded to follow her as told. She leads her to the very entrance of Dash's room, 2 B4. She lays there, her eyes closed. The EKG shows a normal heart rate. The nurse leaves, as the colt doctor approaches Applejack with an "ahem."<br>"I managed to stabilize her. The tree injured her spine, but not that much. Now, she's stable, I fixed her spine, but..."  
>He sighs. "Two things.."<br>"She's..in a coma."  
>Applejack's head tilted. "Ah guess that's okay..."<br>He sighs once again. "Not.. really."  
>"This isn't like a 2-week coma, or a month..."<p>

Applejack insisted. "Well, go ahead. Tell me!"

...

"It's going to take about 3 years..for her to come out of her coma."

Applejack's jaw dropped open, staring in deep silence for a few seconds.  
>"W...W...Wh-What...?"<br>The colt looks back. "I'm terribly sorry... ma'am."  
>Applejack begins to tear up at this moment.<br>"...That's...not all..."

"W-WHAT...? There's MORE..!"  
>He cringes. "The impact on the spine permanently paralyzed her wings. She is unable to fly"<p>

Applejack continues to cry even more.  
>The colt sighs. "Calm down.. We'll do everything in our power to keep her here, alive."<p>

Applejack though, attempts to keep her cool and responds with "Thank you.."

He replies. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, ma'am."  
>"I'd like to see her, now."<br>"Please, do."  
>"Thank you."<br>She enters the room as the colt walks away. Approaching Rainbow Dash on the bed, she briefly listens to the beeps on the EKG monitor, proceeding to sob once more.  
>"It's all mah fault.. This wouldn't have happened to yah if I was infront of you.."<br>She moves her mouth close to Dash's cheek, providing a small, gentle kiss before exiting.

Returning to the barn, she just sits there, sobbing with one hoof on her face. She accuses herself of ruining Dash's life to ever join the Wonderbolts, and proving everyone how she was the greatest flier in all of Equestria.

"Ah'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. It's mah fault."

"..Atleast it's worth 3 years 'ta wait.."

*To be continued.*

**************************  
>AN: I make way too many sad stories.

edit: I removed the original ending and put another one. I thought it seemed out of place and well, I put another one that fits Applejack's personality.

In other news, this is going to be continued. I decided to keep it completed, but now there's a part 2 incoming.


	2. Your wings are paralyzed

*Two and a half years later...*  
>It was Apple Bucking Season again. Big Macintosh said he was going to do most of the work, since Applejack pretty much did most of the work last year.<p>Applejack sighed, bucking a tree as the apples came tumbling down to the basket. She moved towards another, bucking the next. This reminds her of when Rainbow Dash was...<br>Twilight Sparkle came to visit her with a plausible greet.  
>"Oh.. hey, Twilight." Applejack's tone had a vivid sort of depression-like feeling.<br>"Weren't you going to visit the hospital today to see Rainbow Dash?"

Applejack's eyes widen; she seemed to forget about that event.  
>"Oh! Ah guess ah must've forgotten about going to that there hospital."<br>"Do you want me to come with you...?"

"No, Twi.. Ah'd rather visit her.. alone.."

Twilight cleared her throat. "Well... alright then. If you need me, I'll be at the library."  
>Twilight gone thereafter.<p>

That's when Applejack took the advantage to meet Dash at the hospital.

2 B4.

Applejack was just about to open that dreaded door, when Dr. Raven stopped her.

"Miss.. I'm.. Dr. Raven. I met you two and a half years ago."  
>"Oh... hello there, doc. So..what's the information?"<p>

"Ahem.. well.. there's only one slight problem.."

"We don't know if it's the medicine; but she has a slow heart rate, just below 60 beats per minute. That's bradycardia."

"W-Well.. is that bad?"  
>Raven sighed. "Yes, sort of.. bpm below 60 is abnormal. This could reduce her lifetime, but we will know if it's permanent once she wakes up in about a half a year from now."<br>Applejack sighs once more. "Alright. Thank ye kindly for the information."  
>Dr. Raven continues to his other duties, Applejack entering the room.<p>

Rainbow Dash was still sleeping. She had more other lines connected to her. The EKG monitor showed a number that said 48, shifting occasionally from 35 to 50, beeping like always.

Applejack sighed, closing her eyes for one second, then looking back at Rainbow.  
>Suddenly...she awoke! Her eyes slowly opened before Applejack.<p>

Applejack gasped. "R-Rainbow..!" she rubbed her eyes, thinking it was some dream, looking back to Rainbow.

...It was her imagination. "What the h..." she sighed once more, disappointed at the fact she thought she saw Rainbow wake after these years.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo had already been told about Rainbow's 3-year coma, but not about her wings being paralyzed.

Sadly, she still hasn't found her cutie mark, though she misses her idol very much.

Back at the hospital, she finally finished what she was doing, leaving the room, and back to her farm.

*Half a year later...*

Applejack made her way towards the hospital for these two weeks, eventually waiting for Rainbow to wake as it is already time, as the doctor predicted.  
>Finally, at the end of the second week...it seemed like forever...<p>

...  
>Rainbow groaned heavily, her eyelids slowly as if it took a minute, raised. She panned her head to the left to see that she saw a window covered with a curtain. She looked back up at the white, cold ceiling.<br>A few minutes later, she realized that she was in the hospital, her head beginning to ache. "A-Awhhh.. My head.. Wh.."

Applejack wasn't paying attention to her, but when she heard that sweet, gentle voice she turned to her, gasping in emotion and tranquility.

"R...RAINBOW DASH!"

Her scream was louder than she had ever yelled in her life. The yell grabbed the attention of Dr. Raven and a nurse who bolted inside the room.

There, they see Applejack tightly hugging Rainbow Dash on the bed, her eyes covered in tears.

"O-Oh...R-Rainbow.. I missed you.. w-we missed you..!"

"N..Ngh...U-Uh... Apple...jack...?"

"H-How long have I been...asleep..? Like a week or something?"

Applejack's eyes widened, sniffling. "No. Not. A. Week..."

"...3 y-years.."

Rainbow's reaction was intense, gasping as she jumped slightly.

"Three years!"

"Three years...!"

"Wha...It...It feels like a month.. or something...Ugh.. I don't know.. I.. was just in a black void for a long time.. It was like.. I couldn't get out."

Applejack stopped hugging Rainbow, jumping off the bed.

Afterwards, Applejack had to leave due to them giving Rainbow Dash mental and physical tests.

Finally, she was out of the hospital, still a little pale from waking up from a long sleep.

"Ah..I feel energized already. Let's see how these wings do after 3 years of rest."

She tried opening her wings, but she noticed that they just stood there, stationary.

"Huh..!" She tried and tried. She even tried galloping and jumping, but she landed on the ground afterwards.

"Wh-What's going on..?"

Applejack began to tear up again. "R-Rainbow.. there's something... I gotta tell you.."

Meanwhile, Scootaloo had trotted over to see Rainbow Dash at the hospital. She still hasn't known about Dash's awakening. As she was getting closer to the hospital, she saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash just outside, that's when she had her opportunity to gallop towards the two.

Applejack noticed as Scootaloo was arriving towards them. "Scootaloo? What're you doin' 'ere?"

Although Scootaloo didn't respond to Applejack's question. She was surprised to see Dash again after 3 years.

"R-Rainbow Dash! Y-You're AWAKE!" Scootaloo went over to hug Dash again. "I-I missed you, Rainbow! Where've you been!"

Rainbow Dash responded with a sigh. "I...was- I was sleeping.. I'm a little dazed- What happened?"

"Nothing all too important, but.."

Rainbow Dash turned her gaze back to Applejack. "Can you explain why my wings aren't working?"

Scootaloo also drew concerned of this.

Applejack sighed. "Ah was told from the doc that.."

...

...

"Your wings are paralyzed."

********************  
>AN: This is the end of Part 2. I will make a Part 3 if I am convinced enough. For now, this is concluded, but still put on a WIP.

Now I need a little rest. 


	3. Rotten Apple

"Your wings are paralyzed."  
>That's exactly what I told her.. I don't know why, but there was a very long, awkward silence.<p>"Your wings are paralyzed."<br>That's exactly what she told me.. I wasn't sure what was happening, I didn't hear anyone talking, the world around me was completely falling apart.. What was happening to me?  
>-<p>

"Your wings are paralyzed." Applejack sighed heavily, intentionally avoiding eye contact. Then, for what seemed like hours...

..Silence... the only sound there was, was the wind howling deeply around them as the sun begins to set. What was exactly going on?

Finally, the silence shattered and broke, Rainbow Dash speaking in a low and monotone voice. "What did you just say..?"

Applejack began to draw emotion from herself, sniffling. "R-Rainbow.. Ah'm sorry..."  
>"T-That time when you.. were hit with that tree.."<p>

"It paralyzed yer' wings, an' drew ya into a coma.."

"The doctor said so."

Scootaloo was unsure if she were to cry, draw anger, or just leave.

"N...No.."

"I-It's.. a dream. Is it?"

"Th-This can't be TRUE!"

My mind started racing in a series of sad thoughts and... Ugh.. My celestia.  
>"What's going to happen to me now?"<br>"How am I going to join the Wonderbolts now?"  
>"Am I going to fly again?"<br>My life really tore apart.. -  
>"Wh...What..?"<br>Scootaloo's innocent, voicecracking voice rang out as her eyes began to fill with tears.  
>"Y-Y-You.. c-can't.. fly..a-anymore..?"<p>

There was so much emotion that Dash began galloping to some direction, sobbing and wailing as these thoughts overcome her mind, her life fracturing like glass cracking from rocks being thrown at it.  
>Applejack stood there, staring at the ground as she, too, cannot believe she said directly right in Rainbow's face.<br>Scootaloo too, ran the other direction, sobbing as she gallops her young filly hooves.

Applejack grunted in frustation, laying herself down to the ground, her eyes too watering up with tears. "Tch.. What 'ave ah done?" 


End file.
